Some Hope
by arianaD
Summary: At age 15, Katara has always lived in her homeland, the Southern Water Tribe. With both parents dead from the 100 year war, Katara travels to the earth kingdom and joins a group of rebel warriors. For her first mission, Katara enlists in a military camp that trains benders and non-bending to become soldiers. Little did she know the people she hates most would also be there.
1. Chapter 1

Some Hope

Summary: At age 15, Katara has always lived as the last water bender in the South Pole. With both of her beloved parents dead from the 100 year war, Katara travels to the earth kingdom and joins a group of rebel warriors. For her first mission, she enlists in a military camp training benders and non-benders to become soldiers with the people she hates the most, Prince Zuko and Princess Azula.

Disclaimer- Avatar: The Last Air bender is property of VIACOM and Nickelodeon. I am not affiliated with the show in any way, nor profit from it. I am extremely grateful of Mike and Bryan for creating such a wonderful show. Thanks.

"Some soldier he was." Katara spat with anger.

Dried blood stained her hands, along with her traditional water-tribe dagger and deep blue tunic.

That man was the first person she had ever killed. And she had no regret running through her mind.

No sadness.

Not even nausea.

"He deserved it. " She told herself. In Katara's mind, that explained why she didn't care that she just took away a life. After all, he did try to rape one of the tribe's women.

He deserved it.

Katara slowly walked back to the hut gran-gran had left her and Sokka when she passed away, dodging any soldiers or civilians that passed by.

It was her only home. Yet it didn't feel the same there anymore.

Stomping through the snow and to the door of the hut, she heard the sharp noise of rock being scraped against rock.

Sokka.

Katara pushed aside the thick, hide flap acting as a door and walked into the icy hut.

Sokka looked up from the weapon he was sharpening and noticed the crimson staining his sister.

"Katara, are you okay?! Why is there blood everywhere? Do I need to call the healer?" Sokka rushed to his sister side with concern written on his face.

"I'm fine Sokka. Nobody's hurt."

Then why is there blood everywhere?!" Sokka yelled.

Katara gave him a look that was derived of any emotion. She blinked twice, and cleared her throat.

She needed to lie.

"A polar bear was chasing one of the children, so I had no choice but to kill it."

Sokka looked at her in disbelief.

"Where's its hide then? And why didn't you alert one of the soldiers so he could kill it?" Sokka questioned.

"I did alert one of the soldiers, but he didn't help, and after I killed it he dragged it back to the fire nation tents."

Sokka still stared.

Katara didn't care.

She walked past Sokka to their small tub of water by the fire and carefully stripped off her parka and shirt. Katara washed all of the blood from her tan skin, then her dagger, and threw her clothes into the lukewarm water.

Sokka had gone back to sharpening his spear in the corner of the small, one room hut.

Preoccupied with cleaning and cooking, Katara wandered off into her own little world of imagination.

After both herself and Sokka were fed, the hut cleaned, and laundry done, Katara drifted off to sleep cuddled under her fur skins and sleeping bag.

"GET OUT OF YOUR BEDS YOU LAZY DIRTBAGS!" A rough voice yelled through Katara's dreams.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and she saw the outline of an armored figure standing in the doorway of the icy hut she called home.

Frosty winds blew inside from behind the fire nation soldier.

"I SAID GET UP!" The soldier's fist came to light with a burning flame.

Katara quickly jumped to her feet, knowing full well what would happen if she didn't.

Sokka was already standing, his club held defensively behind his back, prepared to strike if necessary.

"Is there something you need?" Sokka said carefully.

"One of our soldiers was found dead this morning, and we want to know who killed him. Tell the truth, or you won't live long enough to whisper another word. Did one of you kill him?"

Katara's mind raced.

Sokka would know the truth now.

"I was fishing until late last night, and came straight home. Katara was here the entire day. Neither of us could have done it." Sokka lied.

The guard glared at them for a moment or two, then kicked over Sokka's once propped up hunting spear.

"You better hope you aren't lying." He stated and then swiftly left.

The two siblings stood for a moment longer.

When the guard was out of hearing range, Sokka turned to Katara.

"What have you done Katara?" Sokka shrieked in a quiet voice.

She barely looked at Sokka before turning her head.

"He deserved it. He tried to rape Haida." Katara said with hate.

"You KILLED him Katara! You could have told one of the other guards! Or even told me and I would have helped! You shouldn't have killed him! What if someone finds out? They could kill you too Katara!"

Sokka's yell burned through Katara's mind.

"You know damn well the other guards would just laugh it off Sokka! It's too late to worry about it now anyways. It's over and done. Nothing can change that."

Sokka's face was written with rage.

"Don't try to say I'm wrong Katara! You're not the same person you used to be anymore."

"AND JUST WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT SOKKA?"

"YOU ARE ALMOST AS BAD, NO, WORSE, THAN THE SOLDIERS OUTSIDE!"

Sokka screamed at the top of his lungs.

If it weren't for the snowstorm outside, someone would have heard.

Katara snapped. Something inside her that kept her attached to the tribe snapped.

She looked at Sokka with eyes colder than ice.

"Guess I have no reason to stick around then, huh?" Katara said in a plain voice.

She stomped towards her hunting bag and snatched up from its resting place on the cold floor.

Katara then stomped back to her bedroll and began plucked her belongings from around it.

She shoved them into the hide bag.

"Katara, I didn't mean that….." Sokka sounded sincere.

She didn't care.

Once everything was shoved into her bag, Katara rolled up her bedroll and secured it to her bag with a thick cord.

Taking one last glance around and grabbing her dagger, putting it in its sheath, and tucking it into the waistband of her pants, Katara began forming a plan in her mind.

Katara slipped into her fur boots, pulled on her navy parka, and grabbed her hunting bag from the floor next to her feet.

"Seriously Katara. Come on. You have nowhere to go. The tribe needs us. This isn't funny." Sokka said in an angry tone.

"You're right Sokka, it's not funny. That's why I'm being serious." Katara responded in a plain voice.

Sokka frowned.

Katara formulated a plan in her mind as she walked out the doorway to her hut and into the dark, very early morning.

Snow and ice pelted Katara's face and body, but she just kept walking.

"Katara! Stop! I mean it!" Sokka ran up behind Katara and placed his hand lightly on her shoulder.

"What is it this time Sokka?" Katara turned and looked to her older brother.

"What are you going to do? Where are you going to go? At least tell me that much in case I need to find you."

Katara stood for a minute, still thinking.

"I'm going to Ba Sing Se I guess. Maybe I can help defend the city there."

"What? You're going to leave the tribe just so you can defend some other place with your life? Katara, you can defend OUR tribe! We need you here!"

Katara sighed.

"Sokka, this tribe is already taken over by the fire nation. We are no good in the fight against them. But the Earth Kingdom? There are tons of villages and towns there without even one fire nation soldier in them, and that is where help is needed the most!"

Sokka seemed to understand.

"I guess you're right, like usual." Sokka said, his eyes looking down at the ground.

Katara gave him one of her rare smiles and a warm hug.

"I'll be fine Sokka. Maybe I'll even find a water bending teacher! I promise I'll write, too."

"I'm gonna miss you, sis."

"I'll miss you too Sokka."

Sokka handed her a small pouch of money and wished her well.

Katara was off.

She was free.

The harbor was quiet.

Normally fishermen that had come here from the fire nation would be preparing their boats or a day of fishing.

But not today, not in this weather.

Three of the fire nation's cargo ships would be headed off to deliver supplies around the world today.

Cargo Ships.

Katara knew her way out since she layed her eyes on the giant, metal ships.

The loading hatch was still open.

Katara carefully sneaked across the icy harbor.

Nobody seemed to notice her.

Katara walked onto the loading dock and entered one of the three ships through the massive loading hatch.

Easy enough.

A loud whistle sounded through the air around Katara.

Only twenty minutes till she would be sailing across the ocean to the earth kingdom.

Katara found a large wall of boxes with a three foot space separating them and the wall.

Perfect.

Katara nestled into the small space, closed her eyes, and drifted off into a world of dreams.

Da-Da-Daaaa! So the journey of Katara's destiny begins! This is my first fan fiction, so I would dearly appreciate comments!

Come on; just click the box that says comment!

So, can anyone guess where Katara's first stop will be? Come on peeps, get your imaginations going! Thanks again for reading, and double thanks for anyone who is nice enough to leave a comment!

I shall update in 1-2 weeks.

Till Then! ; D lots a love, arianaD


	2. Chapter 2

Some Hope

Chapter 2

Disclaimer- Avatar: The Last Air bender is property of VIACOM and Nickelodeon. I am in no way affiliated with the show, nor profit from it. I am deeply thankful of Mike and Bryan for creating such an awesome show. Thanks.

…

The warm, salty breeze of the port licked at Katara's skin. She smiled. The warm, summer air of the Earth Kingdom was amazing compared to the frigid climate Katara had adapted to in the South Pole.

The water tribe girl walked along the shipping port, watching the birds fly and fish leap from the water.

According to the first (and only) merchant Katara saw, the fire nation cargo ship had reached its first port of Kyoshi Island after a five day sail.

"Thank goodness I wasn't on that ship any longer." Katara sighed. Being in a pitch black room with no fresh air, food, or even toiletries wasn't exactly her forte. Then again, most people probably would have the same distaste for that kind of situation as she did.

A small village came into view from the cobblestone path Katara was walking.

Katara silently counted the silver pieces Sokka had given to her before she left.

Only 60 small, round coins were tucked into the tiny pouch. In the water tribe, this would be enough money to buy fish and ocean kumquats for nearly two months. But in the Earth Kingdom, money had different values. She had no idea how long this money would last her.

Sighing, Katara carefully tucked the small pouch back into her pocket.

"Hey, you there, would you mind helping me with these buckets?" an elderly woman yelled to Katara from near a fountain in the center of the small village.

A small pile of buckets sat behind the elderly woman.

"Uhm, I guess I could help." Katara replied, walking over to the pile of buckets and plucking one up off the ground. She watched as the old woman filled her bucket with water from an ornate fountain.

Katara did the same.

"My names Baylin, by the way." The old woman smiled at Katara.

"I'm Katara. It's nice to meet you."

Baylin looked Katara over from head to toe. "You don't seem to be from around here. Are you traveling?"

"I guess you could say I'm a traveler." Katara placed her now full bucket on the ground a few feet away and grabbed a second one to start filling.

"There's an inn just up the road if you wanted to stay here overnight." Baylin informed Katara.

"Oh, I don't think I'll be staying there. I'm a bit low on money. But I guess I could just camp out somewhere."

"Camping? Oh no, you can't camp outside! I'll tell you what. My house is in need of a thorough cleaning and some repairs. If you clean and do those repairs for me, I'll let you stay in my home as long as you need." Baylin said with a smile.

"Well, I suppose that would be a fair trade, huh?" Katara eyed the silver haired woman. Hopefully she wouldn't regret this.

"I'd like that. Thanks for the offer." Katara said gratefully.

After both the women finished filling the wooden pails with water and carrying them back to Baylin's house, Katara found herself feeling closer and closer to the old woman.

….

Katara dear, I have a bowl of soup set out for you on the table!" Baylin yelled out to Katara.

As of right now, Katara was replacing the old, rotten wood fence surrounding Baylin's precious garden.

"Alright, I'll be there in just sec!" Katara set her hammer and wooden box of nails down on top of the new wooden planks. She dusted any remains of dust and dirt off of her skin and walked to Baylin's old home. She wasn't exaggerating when she said 'In need of repairs'. The roof was sagging in, with wood planks and mud covering any holes. The pillars supporting the front porch were nearly falling apart, and the inside was even worse. Fixing up this old place would surely take a while.

The aroma of freshly baked bread and soup brought Katara into the old, rustic kitchen.

"It smells good. Thank you for cooking for me." Katara politely thanked Baylin.

"Oh, it was no problem dear. After all, if I plan on putting you to work, you're going to need a full belly!" Baylin chuckled.

Katara quickly sucked down the chicken soup and ate a small chunk of bread.

"Oh my, you sure were hungry." Baylin noted. "Since you're done, would you mind running into town for me and grabbing a few things?"

"Do you have a list?" Katara questioned.

….

There were only a few produce stands in the small village of Kyoshi.

"Let's see here… moon peaches, bananas, fish, rice, wheat, and platypus bear eggs." Katara mumbled the list to herself. The small amount of money Baylin had given her should be more than enough to suffice.

Only a few people were roaming the streets. This really was a peaceful town. Rarely did Katara see any soldiers either. Huh. Maybe they're occupying somewhere else on the island.

A group of teenage girls burst from one of the small buildings, laughing and talking along the way. Katara looked away from them. If only there were any girls in the Southern Water tribe her age she could have been friends with.

"Moon peaches for sale!" A merchant yelled from down the road a little ways.

There's one item off her list.

Katara slowly made her way down the list, thanking all the merchants she bought from. The group of girls slowly made their way up the street. Katara noticed all of them had fans clipped to their belts.

"Hey, look at her." Katara heard one of the girls say. They probably thought her water tribe clothes were strange. After all, not many people left the village (at least in the southern water tribe) and decided to travel the earth kingdom.  
One of the green-robed girls walked up to Katara.

"Hi, my names Suki. We don't normally see many water tribe folk around here, are you a traveler?" The brown haired girl questioned.

"Yeah, I'm a traveler, but I'm going to stay here for a while. My names Katara, by the way."

All of the eight other girls watched the two with curiosity.

"Where are you staying?" another girl asked.

"Oh, at a woman named Baylin's house up the road a ways. I'm repairing her house." The water tribe girl responded.

"Say, do you do any type of combat training?" the girl named Suki piped up.

"No, why?"

"Well, we all run a group of combat training; we're the Kyoshi warriors. Maybe you could join us for a practice sometime."

The thought of talking and laughing and training with other girls her age made Katara smile. In the water tribe, there were only a few girls, and all of them were at least half Katara's age.

"I guess I could show up."

All of the Kyoshi warriors beamed at Katara.

"Okay, meet us here tomorrow at noon!"

….

Filler chapter. I have disappointed myself. Sorry folks that this chapter is sucky. Please comment! I beg you! It only takes a minute! I need some ideas for next chapter, so please share if you have any. Thanks again for reading! Update might be a bit late next time folks!

Lots a love, arianaD

P.S.- no update till I get 4 comments :P


	3. Chapter 3

Some Hope

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is property of VIACOM and Nickelodeon. I am in no way affiliated with the show, nor do I profit from it. A sincere thanks goes out to Mike and Bryan for creating a wonderful show.

…...

Balls of sweat rolled down Katara's face. Who knew that swinging fans around could be so challenging?

" Alright girls, that's enough for today!" Suki yelled from her position at the front of the room.

In the past week, Katara had trained with Suki and the other Kyoshi warriors for nearly two hours every day. It was challenging and fun, so Katara grew quite fond of the practices and the other girls.

" Hey, Katara!" Suki yelled after grabbing her green large, bag up of the dirt floor.

Katara, after doing the same, looked up to see Suki rushing over to her.

Katara smiled. "What's up Suki?"

"I wanted to talk to you about some stuff, so I guess I'll just walk you home."

The bond between Katara and Suki had become very strong over the past week.

" I'm okay with that." Katara said brightly.

The two girls strolled through the village slowly, talking along the way.

" So Katara, I've been thinking-you know the story of Kyoshi, the reason we do the warrior stuff, and the traditons, etcetra, right?"

Katara looked at Suki with an curious look. " of course, you told me everything the first day, remember?" Where was she going with this?

Suki stopped and reached into her bag. " Well, you've become really close with me and the other girls, and your skills have improved a lot, especially for only one week of practice. So, I figured you could be needing this."

Suki pulled a green robe out of her bag, along three small jars .

" I found an old uniform at my house, and it looked like it would fit you, so, here it is!" Suki said with enthusiasm. " And I brought you some facepaint, too."

Katara was speechless. The thought of herself dancing around in heavy, green robes was entertaining in a funny way. But Suki was nice enough to give her something of her heritage and with meaning very close to her, so Katara smiled. This was the first time in a long time she actually felt like she belonged.

"Thanks Suki! But really, I don't know how long I'll be staying, and this is really important to you." Katara looked sincerely at suki.

" Oh, nonsence! That old house of Baylin's will take weeks to repair. Besides, I have a feeling that she'll want to keep you around a while longer after your done cleaning and all." Suki reasoned.

It was true. Katara was barely done replacing the old wooden columns holding up the roof over the patio with new, fresh wood. She still had to replace the entire roof, redo the wooden floors in the entire house, and maybe even spruce up the outside a bit. It would definitely take some time.

Katara gently took hold of the green garbs and tiny jars.

"Suki, thanks for everything." Katara smiled to her relatively new friend.

The two girls continued walking for a few short minutes until they reached Baylin's house.

Baylin was waiting at the door.

" There you girls are! I was waiting for you. Suki, I made some extra dumplings incase you wanted to eat something before going home." Baylin sweetly added.

Boy, this old woman really is as nice as possible.

" no, I'm good, but thank you for the offer!" Suki walked down the path back into town.

" Anything you need done today, Baylin?"

" No dear, Mr. Galku brought me rice and fruit this morning, so I won't be needing you to run to town until tomarrow." Baylin responded while ladling some dumplings into two bowls in the kitchen. The old woman gently set the bowls onto the small, wooden table.

" Ok, I'll just work on the back porch for the rest of the day today." Katara said before eagerly filling her mouth with dumplings.

They were juicy. Too bad the watertribe wasn't able to grow wheat. Dumplings were so delicious, and Katara savoured the few times she was able to eat them.

" So, how is your training going? You seem to be enjoying it." Baylin spoke in her soft, wise voice.

" Oh, its going really well! Suki even gave me a uniform and facepaint. She says I've improved a lot." Katara responded after swallowing her delicious dumplings.

" It's the only non-bending training group on the island; Probably a good thing for all non-bending girls to take part in." Baylin said wisely. She eyed Katara for a moment longer.

" I never did ask yet, but are you a bender?"

Katara swallowed another mouthful of dumlings. What should she say? ' I'm a waterbender, the last one of my tribe infact! But I'm not any good because I have no teacher!' No. What if Baylin told someone? Afterall, the last waterbender of the southern tribe was supposed to be dead.

The thought of the ' last water bender' brought unbearably sad memories to Katara's head.

But Baylin was someone Katara could trust-afterall, Baylin had accepted the fact Katara was watertribe. Would being a bender make any difference?

After a long minute of thinking, Katara finally responded. " Yes, I'm a water bender, but I have no training. So it really is useless to me."

" It's not useless! You could train yourself if you want. Afterall, it's been done; I've seen it happen. My own husand-" Baylin was cut off by Katara's interruption.

" Wait, you have a husband? I had no idea!" Katara was pretty surprised. Baylin had never mentioned having a husband, or even a family for that matter.

" Yes, I had a husband. He died at sea about ten years ago fighting the war, though." Baylin's eyes suddenly flooded with sadness.

" I'm sorry-I had no idea." Katara frowned.

" There's nothing to be sorry about dear, almost everyone has lost someone to this war. Have you lost anyone?"

" Yeah, I lost my mother and father, along with most of my tribe."

Baylin patted Katara's hand.

" They're in a better place." She said simply.

…

Suki was currently showing Katara how to put on her Kyoshi warrior paint, both girls looking at Katara's reflection in a small pool of water.

" And then the red covers your eyelids up too your eyebrows-like this." Suki wiped some cold, red paste across Katara's eyelids.

Katara was already wearing the traditional green robe of the Kyoshi warriors that Suki had given her yesterday. Katara was surprised by how few restrictions she had while wearing it; she imagined it to be stiff and suffocating. Now that she thought about it, all the robes were identical, and with the facepaint, telling the difference between the girls was quite a challenge.

" There, all done! You look like a true Kyoshi warrior now." Suki brightly smiled at Katara. She seemed satisfied with her work.

Katara also had her long locks pinned back in an ornamental bun, with one of the traditional head pieces adorning her head.

" Thanks, Suki. What's next?" Katara asked. Another warrior, Matni, had briefly told Katara about a ritual that every Kyoshi warrior must go through before joining the group.

" Well, you need the blessing of Avatar Kyoshi, of course!" Suki grabbed Katara's arm and pulled her along the path through the village before stopping infront of a large statue of the spoken avatar.

" Okay, all you need to do is kneel down infront of the statue, like you're praying. Then you have to repeat what I say." Suki gently pushed Katara down onto her knees, and then knelt next to her.

" I, Katara of the southern water tribe, have trained with all my heart to become a Kyoshi warrior-"

" I, Katara of the southern water tribe, have trained with all my heart to become a Kyoshi warrior-" Katara mimicked Suki's words with precision.

" And solemly swear to do only good, stop evil, and protect the innocent with my life-" Suki continued.

" and solemly swear to do only good, stop evil, and protect the innocent with my life-"

"And follow in the wise footsteps of Avatar Kyoshi. I ask for her blessing, and that she will guide me along the right path. Amen."

" And follow in the wise footsteps of Avatar Kyoshi. I ask for her blessing, and that she will guide me along the right path. Amen." Katara finished.

Suki waved some burning essence through the air around Katara and stood up.

" You are now an official Kyoshi warrior!" Suki hugged Katara once she stood up.

It felt good to belong to a group, Katara thought.

A small, folded up slip of parchment fluttered to the ground.

" Oh, I almost forgot to get stuff for Baylin!" Katara said after opening and reading the writing on the parchement.

" Do you mind If I join you? I'm in the mood for a snack anyways." Suki asked Katara before following along with her.

Only a few vendors were open, watching and waiting for people to walk buy and hopefully buy some of their food.

" Boy, Baylin sure does like moon peaches." Katara said to Suki.

The water tribe girl had seen Baylin eat one early every morning. Katara paid the vendor and grabbed a few of the round, fuzzy fruits and placed them in a small bag she had brought with her to town. Katara looked over the contents of the vendor's cart and also bought a few fish and some mellons while Suki munched on an apple she had purchased.

" You know, I was thinking; You're from the watertribe, right? Why'd you come here of all places? Why not go to Omashu, or Ba Sing Se? I'm sure things are more interesting there." Suki stated between bites.

" Well, this was the first port the ship I was on stopped at. Besides that, I kinda planned on going to Ba Sing Se in the future. I just need time to think about how I'm going to get therw."

"So you were a stowaway?" Suki asked with curiosity.

Katara nodded.

" Whoa, that sounds pretty cool. It makes you sound daring." Suki giggled.

Katara laughed. " Yes, the extrememly dangerous stowaway, Katara."

A loud scream for help sounded through the air, interrupting the girls' laughter.

Katara and Suki turned in the direction of the sound.

" Help! Help! There are firenation ships and soldiers destroying our town! They're looking for someone, but nobody has even heard of him!" A man came running from the forest and into view.

He stopped for a minute and cought his breath. The vendors and few villagers scattering the streets rushed home to warn their families.

Suki and Katara glanced at each other. " Guess your first mission is going to be today, huh?" Suki tossed her apple core into the bushed and started sprinting in the direction the frightened man came from.

Katara dropped her bag of groceries on the ground and began sprinting after Suki.

Katara pulled her fans out from their resting place in her sash. About time she could use them for real. After a few minutes of running at full speed, a medium sized town came into view. Smoke and flames danced across a few of the buildings. Some ugly, large, metal ships dotted the harbor.

Black smoke billowed from the large pipes reaching to the sky on top of the ship.

Loud yelling and fear filled screams could be heard from where Katara was.

The two girls quickly darted into the town, down through the streets, and too the harbor. Crouching behind the smoking remains of a burnt building, Katara and Suki watched as a scarred man with a topknot was yelling at a man and clutching him by his throat.

Soldiers covered in shining, gray armor surrounded the scarred man and his victim.

"The avatar has to be somewhere, and we have reason to believe he is here! Now, you better tell the truth, or your face is going to match mine! He would be an air bender, a very old one!" The man yelled.

"I-I've never heard of anyone who can air bend around here! The only old man around here is Ghung Xzhu; he might be who you're looking for!" The green robed earth Kingdom native said in terror.

"Take me to his home, NOW!"

Katara looked to her left. Two other Kyoshi warriors had appeared next to Suki.

" Do you think we should ambush that man at Ghung Xzhu house? It would be easier to have him cornered there." Katara whispered to Suki.

"It sounds like our best bet." Suki motioned to the other girls and the four quietly snuck through the streets, following the two men.

After stealthily following the two for about ten minutes, they came across a small cottage at the edge of town. Two armored soldiers also followed what Katara could only assume to be the captain who was trying to find the avatar.

"Is this his home?" The scarred man asked angrily but quietly.

"Y-yes!"

The captain threw the green robed man to the ground. He stomped towards the house.

Time to make a move. As soon as the scarred man was in the shaggy old home, all four of the Kyoshi warriors sprinted for the home, quickly taking out the two guards positioned outside.

Loud, raspy yells came from inside. Something about an avatar. What a stupid man for believing the avatar was still alive; Katara had given up hope long ago.

"On the count of three…" Suki whispered.

"One." Katara opened her fans and positioned herself in front of the door.

" Two." This was it. She was ready.

" Three." Katara shoved the wooden door open and barged in with such speed you could barely spot her.

The scarred man now held a flame in his palm, ready to strike the old, silver haired man.

Katara slammed her fan into the vital point on the fire bender's neck. He shot forward, sending the flame behind him.

Katara's fans then flew to the man's shoulders, but he dodged. Retaliating, the man turned to face Katara and grabbed her by the wrists. She was quickly flung against the wooden wall of the house.

Ouch. Once on the floor, Katara could hear the sounds of Suki and the other girls fighting the fire bender. Katara stood up carefully. Her whole body hurt, but she was able to manage. The other warriors still weren't able to take down the fire bender, not with the way he was throwing flames throughout the home. Some of the walls were marked with streaks of charcoal; a few spots were even on fire.

Katara looked around for the old man, knowing that it would be best to get him somewhere safe and out of the way.

The man, Ghung Xzhu, was quietly attempting to crawl away from the battle. Katara rushed to him and pulled him to his feet by his thin, wrinkly arm.

"I'm here to help." Katara spoke quietly to the old man. Carefully she rushed him out the door back door while the other Kyoshi warriors kept the fire bender busy.

Outside awaited the other four Kyoshi warriors. Two of them took the old man and ushered him into the cover of the trees.

"What's going on? What happened?"

"Some fire bender man is looking for someone that he believes is the avatar; the man is inside with Suki and two other girls." Katara spoke quickly before rushing back into the house.

Katara took quick notice of the action going on in front of her. The fire bender still managed to hold up against Suki and the other warriors.

But that wasn't the worst thing happening; Because of the stupid fire bender, a good majority of the walls were covered with hot, orange flames.

"This isn't good." Katara mumbled to herself. The house was going to collapse soon. She needed to get Suki and the others out.

That would be a problem.

Katara rushed towards the fire bender, pulled out her fans, and began an array of attacks.

Creeeeeaaak.

The old wood began to creak from the flames.

The fire bending man seemed to note that the house would be collapsing soon, too.

Katara kicked the man in the back of the knees, causing him to keel over, flame in his hand.

Then it all happened too fast.

Katara had barely a moment's notice before the fire bender rolled from his stomach onto his back and shot flame towards her.

She jumped, the flames singing the tips of her thick, wavy hair.

The flaming ball hit the wall to Katara's left, causing more moaning from the wood.

Snap! Snap!

Oh no. Katara scrambled to her feet. The fire bender was also back on his feet, sending flames towards Suki and the others, slowly forcing them to back up to the wall.

"Suki, get out of the way!" Katara yelled. The water bender grabbed her dagger that she also had tucked in her sash and forced it into the fire bender's upper arm.

"Aarghhh!" The man yelled in pain. Katara watched as the flaming wall behind the other Kyoshi warriors began to tumble.

It was too late. Katara tried to reach out. Time went by too fast though, and she couldn't grab anyone and pull them away from the wall.

Crash!

Suki was buried. The other two girls remained standing, barely avoiding the wall.

"Suki! No!" Katara yelled. She dragged her dagger down along the man's arm, trying to pull it out. He yelped in more pain. Thank god he couldn't attack due to his current state.

Katara ran to the flaming ruble and began shoving it aside as fast as she could. Dark green robes became visible between the wood and flames. The other two Kyoshi girls did the same.

"Suki! Please be okay!" Katara whispered to herself. Her vision was clouded with a veil of water. She didn't want to lose anyone else to a fire bender.

Suki was quickly dug out from under the ruble. All three of the girls hoisted her up off the ground and rushed her outside.

She looked bad. Her clothes were singed, and patches of red, burnt skin showed through.

"What happened to Suki? Is everyone alright?" two of the other warriors rushed to them as they got outside.

"Suki got buried under the wall when it fell; Where's everyone else?" Katara responded.

"They went into town to help douse the flames and help any trapped victims; me and matni stayed in case you guys needed back up." Suki was gently placed on the ground.

Matni checked her pulse, and let out a sigh of relief; Suki was still breathing normal. Katara heard the rest of the old, wooden home crumble to the earth.

"I wonder if that man got out." Katara mumbled to herself.

"We should take Suki to the healer back in town, she can fix Suki up." The five remaining warriors lifted Suki up into their arms and slowly made their way back to Kyoshi village.

…

Thank you to all my readers; I appreciate the time you take to read my story. So, anyone wanna guess who the scarred man is? ;D Do you think he made it out alive? I feel like I did much better on this chapter than last, what do you think? I really hope you enjoyed it. Now my dear readers, I would sincerely appreciate any comments! Please?! I will even give a shout out and answer any questions that don't spoil the plot, cause I'm just that nice. :P

This week's shout outs:

BloodyMoonlightSonata1997: Thanks for your review! I do plan to complete this story, and there cough*might*cough be two or more seasons to Some Hope, depending on how long it takes to get to the main plot, how much detail, etc.

Thanks again for reading and all your lovely reviews!

Sincerely, Ariana D.


	4. Chapter 4

Some Hope

Chapter 3

Avatar: The Last Air bender is property of VIACOM and Nickelodeon. I, in no way, am affiliated or profit from the show. Big thanks to Mike and Bryan for creating this awesome show.

…..

The day was quite. Then again, almost everything was since the neighboring town had been attacked. The few villagers who made it out alive were currently boarding in the homes of other families.

Katara continued along her cobblestone path through the village, carrying a small bouquet of yellow daisies in her right hand.

The town's healer's small, three story wooden homes came into view.

Suki had been bedridden for nearly two weeks now. Katara recalled how flustered the doctor had been at Suki's condition. "Do you know how much work fixing her up is going to be?" Katara remembered the miserable old woman complaining. At least she was good at her job, Katara thought.

Now at the front steps, Katara gently knocked on the wooden door before coming in.

A sudden smell of antiseptic and herbs flooded through Katara's nose.

"Are you here to visit?" Katara heard the crackling voice of the old healer.

"Yeah, I came to see my friend." Katara said solemnly. She quietly walked up the stairs, turned to the right, and entered a room containing six beds. Only one was occupied.

Suki rolled over in bed to see who was coming into the room.

"Hey Katara." Suki mumbled tiredly.

"Hi Suki." Katara smiled down at her friend.

"Ooooh, you brought me flowers. They're so pretty." Suki noticed the pale yellow daises in Katara's hand.

"I thought you would like them." Katara smiled at her friend. She gently placed the delicate flowers on the nightstand next to Suki's bed.

"So, how are you feeling?" Katara asked while walking to the corner of the room and dragging a large wooden chair next to Suki's bed.

"The burn on my back still hasn't healed very much, but I'm good other than that." Suki said quietly from her spot under the white linen sheets.

Katara looked down to the ground. "Did the healer say when it will heal or when you can leave?"

"She said I might be able to leave in two or three weeks." Suki stated sourly.

"I'm sorry Suki-I really do feel responsible for this whole situation."

"Katara, there was no way you could have stopped it. You were busy keeping that fire bender from shooting balls of fire at us. You did all you could."

"I still feel bad about it."

"Oh, come here."

Katara leaned into Suki's warm embrace.

"How are the other girls doing?" Suki asked once Katara had pulled away from her and sat back into the wooden, creaking chair.

"Well, we only train about three days a week now instead of six. They're all pretty down since you've been gone."

Suki remained silent. "I can't wait to get out of here. The healer won't let me get out of bed or anything."

"She does seem pretty miserable." Katara laughed with Suki.

The two girls talked about random shit for a long while until the silver haired healer interrupted them.

"Girl, would you mind changing the bandages on Suki's back? I have medicine to prepare for other patients." She said from the doorway, clutching a dish of water, bottle of antiseptic, and roll of bandages in her arms.

"Uhm, sure." Katara replied unsurely from the chair.

"Clean your hands with the antiseptic first; then put the old bandages in that wooden bin in the corner." The old woman said after placing the bowl of water, antiseptic, and bandage rolls next to the daises sitting on the nightstand next to Suki's bed.

"Make sure to be gentle." The woman said before leaving the room.

"Piece of cake." Katara said after standing up. She pushed the chair back a foot or two and then rubbed some antiseptic into her hands.

"I'm surprised she's trusting you with this; I wouldn't if I were her." Suki teased while rolling over to lie on her stomach.

Katara giggled.

Suki had already stripped off her shirt when Katara began gently teasing the bandages from Suki's back.

Dark red, glossy flesh showed under the bandages.

"Wow Suki, this is worse than I thought." Katara grimaced. No wonder Suki wasn't able to leave the healer's sight.

"Looks worse than it is." Suki said brightly.

Once all the bandages were plucked from Suki's back and put in the wooden bin, Katara searched for something to soak with water so she could dab some on Suki's back.

The healer had left no towels or rags, and Katara didn't want to waste the bandages. Oh well, she could trust Suki.

Katara gracefully positioned her arms the way she had taught herself and began moving her fingers.

The water inside the bowl began to slosh about.

"Wait, Katara, you're a water bender?" Suki questioned after noticing the water in the bowl sloshing about.

"Yes, but I never learnt how to do most of it, so I stick to the basics." Katara said without a falter in her concentration. The water bender tugged the water out of the bowl and to her hands. She commanded the water to spread between her hands and cover them, like gloves.

"Well, that sucks. I always wanted to be a bender. Maybe you could find a teacher if you go back home." Suki suggested.

Katara placed her water coated hands onto Suki's back. "There aren't any teachers or water benders in the South; I'm the last bender." Katara said solemnly.

"Oh." Was the only word that came from Suki's mouth after that?

Katara gently began kneading the water up and down Suki's back. It would be so easy if wounds would heal on their own, Katara thought. She then imagined the burn on Suki's back slowly shrinking, being replaced with soft, healthy skin.

The water bender fell into a trance. Her surroundings slowly drifted away, and a strange sensation ran from her spine through her limbs. The sensation was new to Katara.

The water bender was pulled from her trance when a small yelp came from Suki.

"Katara, what are you doing? It tingles." Suki said with a strange voice.

Katara glanced down at Suki's back. The water surrounding Katara's hands was glowing a bright, pale blue.

"What the hell?" Katara mumbled to herself. She pulled her hands away from Suki's back to see if the glowing stopped. It did. But what she noticed after that was even more surprising.

"Katara? Are you okay?" Suki's voice sounded thousands of miles away.

The water in Katara's hands fell to the wooden floors with a loud splash.

"Suki, your back…It's barely burned anymore…" Katara said slowly. Were her eyes playing tricks on her?

She blinked.

Again, the burn was a faint pink, and much smaller.

"What? Is that possible?" Suki said after moving her shoulders to check if the pain in her back was gone. "It barely hurts anymore!"

Katara gently touched Suki's back. It looked so much better than it had earlier. Was it possible to heal people's wounds with water bending? Katara questioned herself in her mind.

"Go get the healer, maybe she knows what happened!" Suki said while sitting up in the bed.

Katara dragged her feet out the doorway, feeling slightly more worn down than she had earlier.

…

"Any trained water bender can do it." The healer sat on the edge of one of the empty beds in the room, Suki and Katara looking at her intently.

"But….I is not trained at all. I never even knew it was possible to heal wounds like that." Katara felt proud of herself for her accomplishment.

"Then your bending instincts must be very strong. Now, Suki needs her rest. She can leave tomorrow now that her burn is much better. I must go finish filling prescriptions." The healer said before rising from the edge of the bed and leaving the room.

A moment of silence passed between the two girls.

"Thank you." Suki smiled to Katara.

"You're welcome, but I don't see what your thanking me for though; I didn't even mean to do it, it just happened." Katara said, studying a tiny crack in the floorboards.

"Well, you made it so I can leave tomorrow. Thank Kyoshi for that. I don't know how much longer I could take that cranky healer." Suki giggled.

Katara smiled. "Well, I guess I should get going. See you tomorrow Suki!" Katara told her friend before standing up and leaving the room.

…..

"Well dear, you've been quiet since you've gotten back; Is everything okay with Suki?" Katara looked at Baylin from her spot at the old wooden table in the kitchen.

"She's a lot better now; I healed her with water bending."

Baylin's deep brown eyes went wide. "You healed her, you say? How does that work?"

"I'm not sure exactly how it works, I just did it." Katara said.

"Well, I'll be damned." Baylin searched Katara's face. "It's getting late; you should probably come inside for the night. Those mosquitos can carry some nasty diseases and such, and they sure like the cool of dusk."

Katara nodded to the old woman and stood from her chair. After placing her clay bowl in the sink, Katara pushed aside the screen door that led to Baylin's back yard.

The sun had already set, and the air had a bit of a chill to it. The water bender climbed the ladder up the roof, and grabbed the wooden box of nails and hammer from their position on the roof. Katara was nearly done fixing up the roof, with only a small section that needed to be torn away and replaced.

Most of her work here was done. She needed to be moving on soon.

Katara climbed down the ladder, hammer and nails in hand, and walked into back into the house.

Where should she go next? What was her plan, anyways? Katara frowned. She needed to make a plan.

….

It was all mapped out in her head.

Katara planned to leave Kyoshi Island next week. She would take the ferry to Chin, and from there, travel to GaoLing, and continue crossing through towns until she could get to Omashu.

Katara smiled to herself. According to Suki, Katara would most likely be able to run into a rebel group that would accept her into its ranks in Omashu.

Maybe she could make a difference, after all.

…

Sorry for the late update, folks! I have been busy with school projects, so I wasn't able to update as soon as I wanted. Thanks for waiting! I hope you like it! Please leave a review! Come on peeps, it's a one minute thing!

Shout out too:

Darkmyr-InuYashaFan: Thanks ;) I do my best when it comes to grammar, but to no prevail, lol

ShadowCyclone: I definitely will continue this story! :D

Thanks again to all my followers and readers, I'm doin this all for you!

Lots of love, arianaD


	5. Chapter 5

Some Hope

Chapter 5

Avatar: The Last Air bender is property on Nickelodeon and VIACOM. I am in no way affiliated with the show, nor profit from it. Great thanks to Mike and Bryan for their wonderful work.

…..

The sun had barely risen over the grey morning sky.

It was too early to be awake.

Sighing, Katara slowly walked from Baylin's home down to the dock.

Today was the day that she was leaving.

It hurt to think of not seeing Suki, Baylin, and the other Kyoshi warriors every day.

But it was time to move on.

No one, not even the merchants, were out this early. Katara was thankful for that. It was nice not to have to say another goodbye to anyone else.

Slowly, pink and orange light streaked the light blue morning sky.

Katara was nearly to the dock. She saw a rather small, wooden vessel pulled up on the edge of one of the piers.

Salty, moist air seeped through Katara's nostrils. It reminded her of her quiet homeland. It reminded her of Sokka. A sudden flood of sadness washed through her mind.

The water bender had really missed her brother since she'd left him in the frozen, cold water tribe.

Katara slowly walked down the wooden pier leading to what she assumed was the ferry that would take her to a small town on shore, Chin.

From what she could see, only two people were on the ferry, and one of them was carrying multiple sacks of luggage.

"Are you boarding the ferry to the southern earth kingdom provinces, ma'am?" A silver bearded man stood on the deck questioned Katara from where he was standing on the small boat.

"Yes, is there a cost?" Katara inquired.

"Only for overnight riders, but day trips are free. Where is it that you plan to get off?" The old man asked Katara.

"I was planning on getting off at the Chin dock, but I might just get off at the first dock." Katara really didn't want to spend any of her money unless she really needed to.

"Well, you sure are lucky! Our first stop today is Chin."

Good.

Katara smiled to the old man and walked onto the wooden steam paddle ferry. The water tribe girl sat down on the wooden bench lining the ferry railing.

It felt good to be close to her element; she felt safe, like she could protect herself if she needed to.

But really, she wasn't able to hurt anyone with her water bending.

Unless of course they were phobic of water.

Oh, how Katara yearned to learn water bending.

Actually, she hadn't practiced in a while….

Shining blue eyes darted around the ship, looking for anyone who could witness her bending.

Nobody.

Smirking, Katara turned on the bench so she could see the water behind her, and she slowly began moving her hands in the steady rhythm that she had memorized. A glob of the salty water began lifting to Katara's hands.

She held the ball between her hands, so it was suspended in the air.

Katara slowly spread the water until it was a thin circle, like a disk. She began moving it around in circles in front of her.

Katara felt a freedom in the earth kingdom she hadn't felt back home. Katara wasn't allowed to bend in front of anyone except herself. And that was a difficult thing to do, considering the fire nation soldiers were constantly watching her to make sure she did everything that was asked of her.

Katara began to change the water into different shapes while still spinning it through the air.

The sun had almost completely risen now, the golden rays of light shining through Katara's water.

The water bender fell into a trance while moving the water blob in the air.

She barely noticed the light footsteps on the deck.

"So, you're a water bender?" An old, withered voice said.

Katara fell from her trance and dropped the water into a puddle on the floor.

It was the same silver haired man she had talked to earlier.

The man smiled at Katara and sat down on the bench next to her.

"You needn't be afraid, I won't tell anyone."

Katara carefully watched the old man, saying nothing.

"You don't seem all too practiced at water bending; is it new to you?"

Katara blinked. "No, it's not new to me. I was never taught how to bend though."

"Oh, I see. Well, you could always learn." The kind old man said.

"But how? The only water benders are in the North Pole, and I have no way to get there."

"Who said you needed a water bending teacher? Why not just a bending teacher?"

Katara looked at the old man like he was crazy.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, think about it. What is preventing you from water bending? You can obviously move the water, but you don't know any forms. Now, what's to say that water bending would work if you learned earth bending forms? You would still be using water, just not water bending forms." The old man explained.

Katara thought about this idea in her head.

It might just work. She smiled. Katara had never thought about this before.

"That is a really good idea. I don't know how well it would work though. But it seems a lot better than never fully bending." Katara smiled at the old man.

"Maybe you could find a bender who would be willing to teach you at Chin." The old man said.

Maybe.

A feeling of potential ran through Katara's veins. She hadn't felt this feeling in a long time.

She felt hope.

…

"Well, it was nice meeting you Miss Katara. Have a safe trip, wherever it is you go."

Katara smiled to the old man, whose name she now knew was Ghalik.

"Bye Ghalik, It was a pleasure meeting you, too. Thanks for all the ideas!" Katara waved to the old man as she stepped onto the pier in the seaside town of Chin.

Katara looked at her surroundings. Chin was definitely bigger than Kyoshi, with villagers wandering the streets and plenty of shops lining the paved roads.

Alright.

The first stop was a supplies shop. Katara needed enough food for traveling, and possibly some hunting tools. Along with some new robes. Water tribe clothing made her stand out too much.

Katara walked through the street and looked at each of the buildings.

She saw a stone building with a sign hanging above it with the words 'General Supplies' painted on it in black paint.

Easy enough. Katara walked up the stone steps to the door and pushed it aside. A merry ringing sounded as the bell on the door was shook.

The shop was rather small, but was packed with an assortment of items.

"Can I assist you today?" A voice interrupted Katara. She spun around to find a short, young woman standing behind her.

"No, I think I will be fine, Thanks though."

"Alright, just let me know when you are ready to pay." The woman said, and walked away into the back of the store.

Katara looked around for a minute, and then walked up to one of the wooden shelves.

Katara slowly made her way through the store, occasionally grabbing something from the shelves to closer examine it.

In the end, Katara had selected five items for purchase; A woven, watertight tarp, in case she needed to make a shelter, a length of rope, two leather water skins, a simple green robe with matching pants, and a large bag of trail mix.

Katara quickly found the short, brown haired woman in the back of the store.

"You're ready to pay, I'm assuming?"

…..

After leaving the general goods store, Katara found herself wandering the town of Chin.

The day was getting late, with a pinkish orange haze covering the western edge of the sky.

Hopefully there was an inn nearby, or some stranger was willing to let her stay in their home for the night.

Even though it was getting late, many people were still walking the streets. Apparently Chin had turned into quite the tourist destination over the last few years, due to some recently discovered ruins outside the town.

Katara continued walking down the cobblestone road until she saw a vendor selling fresh fruit.

Boy, she really was hungry.

"How much for a moon peach?" The blue eyed water tribe girl asked.

"Only three bronze pieces miss! A very good deal, indeed!" The old woman said.

Katara handed the woman three silver pieces she had pulled from her pocket, then grabbed the peach and thanked her. She then continued walking down the stone road and bit into the juicy, fuzzy flesh of the peach. It was delicious.

Katara noticed that there were very few soldiers in the earth kingdom town.

In fact, now was only the second time she had walked past one in the entire town.

Suddenly, Katara was knocked down to meet the stone road.

Ouch.

"Shit, I dropped my peach." Katara said with a frown.

However, that wasn't the worst of her problems. She looked up to see a black robed figure sprinting away with her hunting bag.

"Oh, damn!" Katara quickly jumped to her feet and ran after the thief. However, after a few feet, she noticed she wasn't the only one pursuing him.

"Get back here you dirty bastard!" A man yelled from beside Katara. The man surged ahead of Katara and tackled the thief to the ground.

Interesting.

Katara was surprised by the act of the stranger. She stopped just in front of the two people rolling around, wrestling in the dirt.

A small crowd had gathered around to see what was going on.

After a few minutes of cussing and throwing punches at each other, the black robed man was put in stone cuffs by the other mysterious man.

A bender? Things were definitely getting interesting.

A few more tall, broad men dressed in green robes showed up at the scene and led the black robed man away.

The crowd started clapping and whistling as the other man, the one who had helped her, stood up and dusted himself off.

"Oh, thanks everyone, but it was nothing."

Katara finally got a look at the man; or should she say boy? He looked rather young, maybe a little older than her, but not by much. He had medium length, dark brown hair and kind bright green eyes to match, with milky tan skin.

He was pretty cute.

Katara fell from her slight trance when he spoke to her.

"Are you alright miss? I have your bag, here." The boy said.

"I'm fine, thank you. I'd sort of be lost if you hadn't gotten my bag back for me, so thank you for that." Katara responded with a pink stain stretched across her cheeks.

"Oh, it was no big deal. I'm just glad I could help. My name is Korey, by the way." The boy said with a handsome grin.

"My name's Katara, pleasure to meet you."

"You're eyes; they aren't too common around here. Are you a traveler? Not to be a judge, but it appears to me that you are from the water tribe. Are my assumptions correct?" Korey asked.

"Yep, I'm from the Southern water tribe. And I am a traveler. I was just looking for somewhere to stay the night." Katara responded while slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"You know, I have space in my home, you're welcome to stay at my house for the night." The green eyed boy said.

"Really? I don't want to be too much trouble, and you've already been extremely kind to me." Katara said, contemplating the idea in her mind.

"Oh, no, it wouldn't be a problem at all. I would quite enjoy it, actually."

"Well, I guess it would be okay."

…

Whacha allz think?! :D Sorry for the update time, but I made up for it with a rather long chapter. ;) So, what y'allz think of the new character, Korey? Please, review, follow, favorite, or whatever your heart desires. Especially review. Those things just make my day I hope you liked it, and the next chapter shall be ready in about 1-2 weeks! Thanks again!

Shout out:

ShadowCyclone – Thanks for ur review! ;) Yes, Katara had to leave Kyoshi in order for the plot to continue! I know, I'm gonna miss it too

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments!


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